Improved apparatus for navigating the air



UNITED) VSTATES Pnfrnrrr OFFICE.

W. F. QUINBY, OF STANTON, DELAWARE.

iMPRovEn APPARATUS Fon NAvleA'rlNe THE Am.'

Specification t'orzningpart of LettersPat/ent No. 33,797", dated November 26, 1861.

plied` Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same. f

Similar letters of reference indicate corre-- spending parts in both figures.

'ihis invention consists in the use ooseillating wings of improved construction attached to thesides of about-like car for causing 1it to ascend, maintaining -itlat a given. elevation, or regulating its' descent in the airA as may be desired; also in a certainarrangement, in combination with such-wings, of a' screw-propeller for giving the car a nuovement in a horizontal direction, and of spiralbladed wheels like screw-propellerstor assisting the side wings in producing the ascent,

maintaining the elevation, 'or regulating the descent of the car.

To enable others tomake and use my in-' vention, l will proceed to 'describe its oonstruction and operation.

The boatflike cer is com-posed of a light frame a a, of wood or other-suitable material, so constructed and braced by transverse and longitudinal braces b' b and c asto obtain great strength with little weight, and covered up as high as desirable with oiled ,silk or other suitable light material. The oscillating wings, ot which one pair only isrepresented, but of which there may be one, two, or more pairs, are composed each of an oblong frame A, of wood or other strong light material, fitted with a suilioient number of valve-like ilaps d to cover its entire area, such flaps being composed of light frames of wood or whalebone or other light elastic material having oiled sill; or other suitable fabric stretched upon them, such flaps being arranged to 'open .by an upward and to close by a downward movement.' Of each pair of wings one is nr ranged on one side and the other on the other longitudinal vertical section .die of its stroke.

I` side of the car, and both are attached rigidly s to the same shaft kB, aprolongation of whose axis would intersect them at the middle of their length and :it right'augles to theirjsides, the said shaft being arranged transversely to the lengthof'the car in suitable-,bearings in the sides thereof, andthe wings being so arranged upon the said shaft that both occupy the same plan'e or planes.-

f The screw-propeller C for propelling tho ship in a horizontal direction is fast upon` the fmaiu shaft D, which is'1 arranged lengthwise of the car in a central position, the propeller v being either in rear of the car, as represented,

or in front thereof, or there being orlein front -an'd one-iu the rear of the car,` The main shaft D'kmay be driven by a small steam-eu gine, by manual lab or,or by any other suitable means. The drawings represente. spring E,.app'lied for thefpnrpbse of driving it. The

said shaft carries a cam F for givingA the necessary oscillating movement to the wingshaft B, .and l 'two' gears G G for driving the upright shafts il H ofl the two spiral-bladed wheels I I', which assist the wings in controlling the ascent-and descent and elevation of the ship,

The cam. F acts to produce averties.: reciprocatihg movement o. theyoike J*, which slides in vertical guides e e, and this yoke is connected with an arm f on the" wing-shaft B, so that by the reciprocating movement of the yoke-an oscillating movement .of said shaft tothe extent vof about-a quarter of a revolution back and, forth is produced, causl ing the -wings to vibrate between two posi#v tions at angles of about forty-hive degrees to the horizon, and cansin g them to be in a horizontal position when the yoke is atthe mid- The flaps d d of that part of each wing which is moving downward are always closed, so that they exert a downward pressure on the air, which tends to raise the oar; but the flaps of the ascending portion of each wing are always opened by the pressure of the air,` so that they oder no material obstruction to. the ascent of the ship which may be caused by the oscillating movement of the wings to ascend to be sustained at a. certain elevation or to merely have its descent checked Aand controlled accordingto their area and the velocity at which they are driven. When the screw-propeller C is at 'Work and the ship is intended vto move horizontally, the wingsmay be stopped and locked at an upward inclination of about twenty-.threeA and a half d egrees in a forward direction, in which po.- sltion they will, while the ship is heingpropelled for.wa1'd,'be so caused to pressupon the air with their aps dd all 'closedthata y n certain tendency' to lift the car Will 'be de- -velopeCL When it is desired Vthat the ship shall descend,the wings may b'e locked in a horizontal position, in which position they 'will tend to check the too. rapid descent.

The spiral-bladedwheels I I4 both have their shafts 1I H arranged in the center of thecar-that is to say, midway/between its. sides.l The said wheels Aare of uniform`- size, but havethe ,inclination of their bladesl in opposite directions, and' consequently must rotate in opposite directions, the directions besaid. lWheels derive' motion from. the main shaft through gears J J on their shafts HH gearing with the gears G G on the main shaft. The blades of the wheels l I and those of the screw-pi'opeller CareI all made of tight't rames of wood ,or other material having'oiledsilk or other suitable fabric stretched anthem.

L is a'mast standing up between the shafts G G at about in the lateral center'and at about the .middle of the length of the carfor the attachment of va parachute M, which will be caused toy spread itself when the car is'descending, and so prevent the too rapid d escent of lthe ship. The said masthas also fitted to turn on its lower part theruddey N,

which consists ofa long frame of wood or metal covered with oiled silk or other s u-itable lfabric, aud' which is 'to be worked'by y ropes at the command of a person within the 4 ear forthe purpose of Steeringthe'car.

"What l claim as .my inyention., anddesire to secure by.Letters Patent, is-` l. Theemployment, in combination with t-he'boat-like car, of oscillating wings A d d, constructed and applied to operatesubstantially as and for the purposeherein set forth. v

12. .The combination of the wings Ad d, the

screw fpropeller C, and the' spiral..- bladedv wheels I I', the whole operating together sul)- stantially as and for the purposes-herein specified.

W. F. QUIN BY. Witnesses:

J oHN C. HIGHFIELD,

ABRAHAM STAATS. 

